On a continent filled with political instability, Senegal has historically been a country with a relatively stable political climate, a free society, and democratic institutions.

Senegal ranks among the least developed countries in the world. Recurrent periods of drought and the impact of desertification over the past four decades have thwarted government plans to increase agricultural production and expand industrialization. Roughly 70 percent of the population remains engaged in agriculture, which contributes less than 25 percent to the GDP. The government continues to exert control over recently privatized peanut oil and phosphate industries, though foreign ownership is dominant. Senegal's four primary sources of income are phosphate mining, light manufacturing, agricultural processing, and tourism.

The Peace Corps program in Senegal began in 1963, primarily with English teachers. An early rural development program set the stage for Peace Corps' important presence in rural areas. Volunteers currently work in projects, focused on the needs of rural people. Volunteers are assigned to small-scale projects helping individuals and communities with needs ranging from improved farming techniques to primary health education. All Volunteers are trained to promote awareness of HIV/AIDS and various other life skills themes.

Agriculture

Volunteers provide assistance in sustainable agriculture, improved rice and field crop production, agroforestry, and micro-gardening technologies. Volunteers help rural communities and groups improve soil fertility and production, train farmers in natural resource management and conservation techniques, and promote micro-gardening innovations in urban areas.

Business Development

Small enterprise development (SED) Volunteers provide training and consulting services in business planning, management, marketing, and networking to individual business owners and associations in towns throughout Senegal. SED Volunteers also introduce young people to information technology (IT), and provide IT training to Senegalese businesses to enable them to improve their accounting systems and marketing efforts. SED Volunteers working as eco-tourism promotion agents help people living in communities near national parks and other tourist attractions develop eco-tourism-related businesses and improve their marketing of eco-tourism products and services.

Environment

In rural community schools, Volunteers work with community leaders to increase awareness of human environmental impact. They help teachers design curricula to teach environmental lessons and work with students and community members to teach practical methods linked to classroom activi ties. Activities include tree planting for live fencing and community sanitation. Volunteers in one area of Senegal, working with their local counterparts, trained over 30 local farmers in fruit tree-grafting techniques. The farmers returned to their respective villages and began to apply the techniques they learned, sparking substantial interest among villagers in each of the villages involved.

Community Health

Volunteers train community health liaisons and help them develop health education and healthcare management programs. Efforts focus on educating people in basic practices that will help them avoid illnesses such as malnutrition, diarrhea, malaria, and sexually transmitted diseases. Volunteers are also training Senegalese in HIV/AIDS education using informal techniques such as music and theater.